My Long, Long, Long Love Affair.

On initial appearance, The Beatles album, commonly known as the White Album, was much more paired down than it's colourful predecessor, Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. It's sleek, unadorned front cover was a direct contrast to Peppers. The flow of stories about people were replaced by a eclectic variation of songs. 

The White Album contains jaunty fun songs, such as Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill and Martha My Dear. Contemplative songs such as Whilte My Guitar Gently Weeps, Dear Prudence and Blackbird and thunderous booming songs like Birthday and Helter Skelter. 

Amongst this interesting and lively gem of a album stands one song that is often over looked by casual listeners and music critics alike. It's a song of plain, simple beauty that it could fade away compared to the livelier tracks. 

Long, Long, Long is one of George Harrison's finest compositions. As his confidence grew over the proceeding Beatles albums you could see, and hear, how his song writing was flourishing. He was allowed more than one song on this album. And as much as I love While My Guitar Gently Weeps, how much I bop along to Savoy Truffle, or sing along to Piggies, it is Long, Long, Long that touches my heart, my soul and my spirit - and what I know of George, that is what his main aim was when constructing a song. 

The song was composed after The Beatles made their much publicised visit to Rishikesh in India during the early months of 1968 with recording starting much later in that year.  George sang on lead vocals, Paul playing the Hammond organ and Ringo providing a strong, pulsing drum beat that was in of itself, directly different to the rest of the song. Yet, these three separate elements come together to make a wonderfully simple and elegant song. 

Putting aside the technicalities of this song, I want to talk about the emotion that George put into Long, Long, Long. His laid back vocals are so quiet that they can, amongst Ringo's drumming, almost be missed. There are times, when you're not listening on headphones, that you strain to hear what George is singing. A quiet song that is also one of the most emotional that he has ever written. 

His understated singing belies the emotion of the song which almost borders on passion. The quietness from the quiet Beatle manages somehow to put across all that he is feeling in his heart and soul in such a understated way. And yet it can make me weep with either sadness or joy.

Long, Long, Long is a love song. But it is not a love song for Pattie Boyd or some long distant lover. It is a love song to God. George wrote many songs about God and religion. Love You Too, The Inner Light and Within You, Without You to name but a few. But Long, Long, Long is different somehow. It seems exhaustive, it seems as though that search, for him, was over. He had found what he had wanted to find, and that now it was a plea to that God to accept him, to forgive him for the years when he ignored him and to love him as much as he loved God. It's is a song of stillness yet bubbles with intense emotion underneath.

With this song, George is on his knees. Begging for that love he so desperately wanted. I once saw a photograph of a letter that George had written to a friend during the break up of his marriage to Pattie Boyd. At the bottom the ink was smudged where George's tears had splattered the letter. This song is almost the same. It feels sometimes as though he was on the verge of crying with relief. What was once missing for George had been found and he was relieved.

Long, Long, Long is a song that would also sit comfortably on his first two solo albums, All Things Must Pass and Living In The Material World. 

It's presence on The White Album though brings a softer edge to what could possibly be quite a hard album. John Lennon's tetchy, sarcastic 'I'm So Tired' for example needed something to counteract it. I love 'I'm So Tired' by the way, but it's nice to even out a slightly negative song with a positive one. 

The White Album is fantastic in itself because it shows very different sides to George Harrison and where he was in 1968. I love the sarcastic Piggies and it's clever word play. The overstated but fun Savoy Truffle is fabulous. And While My Guitar Gently Weeps is just plain awesome. 

For me, this is the stand out track on The White Album. And that holds the song in very high esteem as the quality of the album is beyond superb. It's a fun album with serious elements. It's avant garde in places and poppy in others. It is probably one of their most messed up albums. Unorganised and dishevelled, all over the place - but that is what makes it fun.

I first heard The White Album when I was thirteen and it has remained a favourite ever since. And Long, Long, Long will always hold a piece of my heart. For it is beauty in a simplistic, understated form. And it doesn't matter how many times I've heard it, it always touches a nerve. Whether that's a raw nerve (as it quite often is) or whether it addresses happier moments in my life. For those of us who love God know what it's like to love him and how that makes you feel. On that basis, I can relate to Long, Long, Long more than any other song. 

This will never stand out amongst the most recognisable Beatles songs. It may not even stand out as one of the most recognisable George Harrison Beatle songs. But it is a gem that I know will touch listeners on first hearing. If you are not moved at least once by this song then I'd be very surprised. 

Of course, as a listener, if you wish to relate this song as a love letter to a woman rather than God then that would work to as on the surface it could mean anything. But I like the fact that this is less preachy then some of George's similar songs. And that makes the song more enjoyable for everyone as I know many people who skip his religious based songs. As much as I love them, they are not for everyone. 

I am blessed to have heard Long, Long, Long. I once read a quote by George saying it was insignificant and that he had forgotten it. But I will never forget this song and how it makes me feel every time I hear it. 

Why All Roads Lead To All Things Must Pass

I still remember it like it was yesterday. Even though it was nearly a quarter of a century ago. I had just broken up for the October half term and it was a dull, dreary and very grey Friday afternoon. There was a gentle tap on my bedroom door and my Dad popped his head around the door. 'This is for you' he said. 

Opening the bag I stood speechless. He had been to a second hand record store and had found for me the holy of holies. A near mint, vinyl copy of George Harrison's masterpiece, All Things Must Pass. I believe I just stood there with sheer joy. To make the moment even more special he kindly swapped the stylus on my record player so that I'd have the best possible listening experience. 

I don't think I've ever been happier in a single instant then I was as that thirteen year old girl. For me this was the pinnacle of my short life. I had what I had always dreamed of. And it was all mine. No more listening to it on a cassette tape that my Dad had made for me. I actually had a proper, brand spanking new copy. 

My late Dad was my Beatle buddy. When he replaced his vinyl albums with the new fangled CD's, I got his old vinyl records. Though they jumped and hissed in places, I loved them and played them over and over. It was established when I was about eight when I pointed to George on the cover of Abbey Road that I announced "I'm gonna marry him ..."that he was a favourite of mine. When I grew a bit I fell head over heels with the songs he wrote.  So for me, All Things Must Pass was the thing to have. 

My opinions on George's first solo album have not changed at all from the moment I put that vinyl on the record player to when I hear it now. Today. I will admit that some of this is because it is George's album. But then only George could create a album as stunningly beautiful, tear inducing and calming as All Things Must Pass.

All Things Must Pass is as much an emotional journey as it is a album. It is a roller coaster of a ride. It takes you from the upbeat, happy, positivity of My Sweet Lord to the pleading, heartbreaking Behind That Locked Door to the thought provoking Beware of Darkness back round to the rip roaring and fun Apple Scruffs. For this is a album that I play when I'm nervous, worried or downright sad. It has the ability to calm me when I'm anxious, boost me when I'm struggling and it shares in life's joyous moments, too. 

George released All Things Must Pass in 1970 and is his first solo album since the Beatles split up. It is made up of three albums (if purchased on vinyl). Though I really only consider this a double album as the third album in the set is a mere collection of junk songs and bits and pieces that I don't listen to. And I don't think I'm alone in that, either. 

It's fair to say that the general Beatle rule of allowing George two, sometimes three songs per album meant that there was a excess of songs that George had written and didn't have the chance to record. All Thing Must Pass, the title track, had been put forward as a possible Beatle song and a rare version appears on the Anthology set. But in a situation not uncommon to George, many songs were rejected so he had a solid amount of material to work with. 

The album was recorded between the familiar recording grounds of Abbey Road Studios and George's home recording studio in Friar Park. Legendary (and now infamous) producer Phil Spector co-produced and brought along with him his lavish wall of sound recording methods. Production began in May of 1970 and was completed in October of that year. 

From the first note played on the first song to the last it's a stirring, epic masterpiece. It is lavish and indulgent yet at times is beautifully simple and understated. On My Sweet Lord it soars like a wave, on Run Of The Mill it's as still as a millpond. It is, at times, as contradictory as the man himself could be at times. It is Pisces personified. As if the creator is being pulled in two different directions, however still creating a fluid and beautifully sounding album.

The standout hit of the album is, naturally, My Sweet Lord. It is also the song that dragged George into a long period of litigation when he was accused of plagiarism. My Sweet Lord, they claimed, sounded too much like He's So Fine. But that is for another post maybe!

Putting legal squabbles aside My Sweet Lord is a love anthem. Not for Patti, but for God. The love that was taking over his life. He had dipped his toe in the waters of singing about God during the Beatles period, but in his solo career he was much freer to explore that deep and all encompassing love and that was born through My Sweet Lord. 

What I feel is so charming about the album is that you see, perhaps for the first time, the sweetness of George's character. Much like some of the songs, he is stripped bare. His personality, not having to compete with three other superstars shines through and you get just a little peek into the world of George Harrison. His love for his friend, Bob Dylan is very evident in Behind That Locked Door and the love he had for the history of his house is perfectly summed up in Let It Roll (The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp).Even on the Apple Jam record (the third in the set) you get to hear a sweet rendition of It's Johnny's Birthday for his band mate, John Lennon.

Like George himself the album is richly textured and multi layered. Some say he never bettered himself through his solo career and there could be some truth in that. I certainly don't think he reached the pinnacle that he reached with All Things Must Pass, but unknowingly he set himself a very high standard. He raised the bar so high that he was forever being compared to himself. But he made the music that he loved. And if we so happened to love it too, all the better.

One of my favourite tracks on the album is the very simple Run Of The Mill. A glorious song which I take to reflect George's dismay at the crumbling relationships he had with his fellow Beatles and the dismay at the emotional ending of their working and private relationships. It's opening line '.. everyone has choice, when to and not to raise their voices ...' is almost like a mantra to me. Sometimes, when in certain circumstances I feel I was losing control of my temper, I used to sing it in my head. To calm me down and to make me feel rational. It is a precautionary tale about how we all have to be in control of ourselves. 

To be fair and even and levelled I have tried to think of a single song on this album that I don't like. But it's totally impossible. So all I can say in the negative is that I don't like the Apple Jam record. The two main records however, I cannot fault. I know them all so well, like they are friends. They are reliable, and something I can rely on when times can get tough. 

Perhaps one of the most startling things about the album is it's front cover. It's pure and simple, a black and white portrait of George sat amongst some garden gnomes in his Friar Park estate - perhaps the place he is happiest after the breakdown of the Beatles. It's one of the most effective album covers. It's stunningly beautiful.

All Things Must Pass, I believe, leaves the major Beatles solo albums in it's shade. Johns Plastic Ono Band was good, but could not compare. Nor could McCartney. When John Lennon made his acidic comment 'it's okay but it goes on too long ...' about George's venture into solo work it was said with more then a hint of jealously. I expect that neither Paul nor John expected George to create something like All Things Must Pass. And if they were shocked at his actual ability, they probably were shocked at the over all positive reviews the album gained. This was little George. I doubt they thought he had much in him. 

As I said earlier, George did not better All Things Must Pass during his solo career. He wrote some fabulous albums, Cloud Nine and Brainwashed being two but he never quite reached the level of success. But this was a monumental effort. A staggering piece of art that came from the quiet Beatle. The Beatle that everyone assumed would fade into history after the Beatles split. His quiet Beatle persona led people to drastically underestimate his ability - perhaps making this album a even bigger surprise.

When the Beatles were splitting a lot of publicity centred around the feud between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The stories of John throwing rocks through Paul's window and Paul and Linda writing acidic letters to John and Yoko. George and Ringo, it seemed, slipped out of the back door, staying out of the controversy and getting to work on their solo projects. 

Hidden away between the walls of Abbey Road and Friar Park George got to work on a album that was praised and well received. A body of work that he should of been proud of. I know his philosophy in life was living in the now, that yesterday has been done and should be forgotten. That the only important album was the one he was currently working on. But I hope he appreciated what he had produced for us, his fans.

All Things Must Pass is perhaps the one album that has made the biggest impression on me. From the minute I heard it as a teenager it struck a chord and touched my heart in a way that no other album has ever seemed to have done. I am thankful I am a Beatle fan, if I wasn't I'd never of heard it. I first heard All Things Must Pass over twenty years after it's initial release. And I'm sure my feelings were no different to anyone who first heard it on it's initial release.

George himself released a updated version in the 2000's, but for me the original release is all your really need. It is a album so beautifully pure, so positive and so wonderful that if you heard it, it would never leave you. It has never left me. 

Once heard it leaves a mark so deep you'll never shake it off.

All Things Must Pass makes you feel. Whether it's extreme happiness or sadness. It makes you think about the love that comes along with friendship and it warns you about the perils of modern life. You think about the pure love that you can feel for God (if that way inclined) and how important it is to take responsibility for your own actions. 

I know I'd be a different Laura had I not heard this album. I know I've not been quite the same since. 

Why I Love Revolver

We live in an age where the average life span of a newly formed band is about three to four years. So it makes the fact that in the space of three short years the Beatles had evolved from writing cutey pop songs such as 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' and 'Love Me Do' to writing and producing an album so spectacular, so different and mind bending such as Revolver rather remarkable.  If not genius.

With the bands previous album, Rubber Soul the listener does get a sense that their style is evolving, maturing and improving. Even though they were so young at the time, they appeared to have musically matured and grown. But the leap between a album such as With The Beatles to Revolver must of been too staggering to comprehend.

When the Beatle fan put Revolver on their turntable what must they of been expecting? After all it wasn't too long ago that they were dancing along to Help! and A Hard Days Night. Revolver could not of been further away form that if they had tried. Whilst Help! was light and fluffy, Revolver was dark and brooding. And it's mainly or these reasons, that I absolutely adore this album.

I will acknowledge at this point that the boys had already started to indulge in drugs which must of contributed to the change in direction they were taking. But I won't accept that this is the only reason. I also firmly believe at this point that they were sick of producing love songs. They had something to say and they wanted us to listen. Also interesting is the point that this was the first album since they had decided not to tour any longer. So they could be experimental in their sounds - they had no pressure to reproduce those sounds on a tour. The studio was their oyster and they used that fact to the best of their ability.

The album opens with a George song. I often wonder why they chose this song to open with. It's common knowledge that George was allowed only a couple of songs per album so he must of impressed the others with this corker of a song for it to be the opening gem. Taxman was a topical song, in which George comments, sarcastically, on the fact that no matter how much he earned, most of it landed up in the governments pockets via the high level of taxes they Beatles were paying out of their earnings. It's typical of George - direct and straight to the point. He had something to say and said it best in a fine song. As we would later see with many of George's songs there was no holding back. I like Taxman. It's one of my favourite George's songs because I like his take on the tricky subject matter.

From Taxman we move onto one of the boys best known songs. The heartbreakingly sad Eleanor Rigby. The story of loneliness and what it does to the soul who experiences it. How cut off from society people can feel even in a busy and constantly moving world. I think this is a deep and soulful McCartney song. A step away from his usual love based songs. It's effective, it sends shivers up my spine and even the strings only version available on the Anthology can bring tears to my eyes. It's shattering and, at times, when you feel alone in the world, very difficult to listen to because it makes you confront your fears of loneliness. The fact that you could die and no one would attend your funeral is a concept far to sad for us to even contemplate. And all this soul destroying loneliness wrapped up in a beautifully orchestrated bow.  For me, this is one of their finest songs. Ever.

I'm Only Sleeping is one of those songs that, I admit with much guilt, that I often forget about, yet, when I hear it, I love it. It's a simple song about someone who is nothing but utterly lazy. There isn't much to say about this song except it's fun, easy to sing and perhaps a little light to take away the sadness from Eleanor Rigby.

Love You Too is a George song. But it doesn't automatically mean I love it. It's not a bad song, but not my favourite of his, either. I much prefer Taxman. By this period of his musical life George was more then experimenting with Indian music and discoing his love of the sitar. However, I think George was capable of far better songs. The Inner Light, for example is a Indian song of pure beauty. This isn't. It's a sexual song. It's not bad, not overly good either. Oddly enough if I were to skip a song on this album, this, most likely would be it. It doesn't move me. I don't feel anything when I listen to this. And as music is a emotional thing for me it leaves me feel slightly cold.

As much as Love You Too was about physical love, Here, There and Everywhere is about the romantic side of love and I think it's utterly beautiful. A truly beautiful song which maybe does take us back to the early days of Beatlemania where girls listened to love songs and dreamed about marrying a Beatle. I love how charming it is, how innocent it is in a time when everything was changing. A little revisit back to the early sixties I feel. It certainly feels a little out of place with the content of the rest of the album, yet, it sits in comfortably, too. It's a song with tone and texture. A strong love song, but yet, not overly icky or sickly. It strikes the perfect balance of a love song with it being overly sentimental. It's just lovely to listen to.

Who doesn't love Yellow Submarine? That rip roaring fun song that no matter how many times I hear it I never tire of it. It's fun, easy to sing and is the perfect outlet for Ringo's fun personality. When I go and see the Bootleg Beatles it never fails to get everyone on their feet. Although this song could be considered a children's song, it lightens the tone of the album. Then again, it could lead you down a path where you don't expect some of the later songs. Either way I love this song and it adds to the texture of the album. Yet again it's different to what has gone before. There is a nice atmosphere that radiates from this song. As though everyone involved in it's creation were having fun. It's daft, silly and a natural companion to Octopuses Garden which appeared later on on the Abbey Road album.

She Said, She Said is not just one of my favourite songs from Revolver, its one of my favourite Beatles songs full stop. I love the pounding beat of the song, I love the fact that John is teasing the actor Peter Fonda, who, whilst at a party with the boys, and whilst on LSD, kept insisting to the (bored) John that 'I know what it's like to be dead'. During the recording of this song Paul had temporarily left the band, leaving George to record not just his part but Paul's bass line as well. He didn't do a bad job, though he's no Paul, admittedly. I love the lyrics to this song. It's just a song that I play on the way to work to get me going. I never tire of it, I never skip it and it's one song I'm most likely to put on repeat. I just love it full stop.

Side two starts with Good Day Sunshine. A song I don't have much of an opinion on, if I'm being honestly. It's bright, breezy and sums up the very idea of summer (the summer of 1966 being especially warm and sunny). It's good. But it's all I can say about it really. It doesn't really hold my interest long enough to form any sort of opinion.

And Your Bird Can Sing is loud and fabulous and just like She Said, She Said is one of my favourites off the album. It's easy to sing along with and I think the lyrics to it are genius. The opening verse "You tell me that you've got everything you want, and your bird can sing, but you don't get me, you don't get me ...' rather reminds me of a man who wanted to date me and saw me as potential possession.  Happily I walked away from him. But I love the fact that Lennon, who mostly wrote this, was not impressed by someone who claimed to have everything but seemingly lacked the ability to even see him. Or consider his feelings. A quite serious song with a light and uplifting tune. I just love it.

For No One is quite a sad song, written by Paul on which he comments on the break down of his love affair with the British actress, Jane Asher. It's sad and like Eleanor Rigby moves me quite deeply. We've all been there where we have gone through the end of a long relationship. We all know how it feels and Paul masterfully sums it up without being over the top and sickly. It's heartbreaking to hear really and although it doesn't put me on a downer, it makes me think a little bit too much about things I don't want to think about, opening up old wounds and stirring long buried emotions. But, despite it all, it's beautiful.

Doctor Robert is written about a New York Dr well known for providing drugs to patients. And not the sort of drugs that cure illnesses. It's fun and funky and I can't help but sing along to it whenever it comes on. Other then that I have not much to say about Dr Robert!

I Want To Tell You. Ahhhh! The George song on this album that I love. Absolutely love this song in which George is evidently struggling to talk about his feelings or struggling to get off his chest something that is bothering him. In some ways it has quite a droll melody, it's not loud, it's calm and even and balanced. There is no rising and falling of melody. It's stable and solid and very enjoyable. It's George at his best. I love it in the same way I love Think For Yourself from the Rubber Soul album. It's deep and it's meaningful but in no way patronising. A massive thumbs up for George.

Got To Get You Into My Life. Pauls ode to his love of pot. At times I really love this song and have it on repeat. At other times I barely listen to it at all. This is very much a mood song for me. Sometimes I'm in the mood for it, other times I'm not. It's a well constructed song but somehow it seems a bit old fashioned, so different from what else they were recording at the time. It's almost like a bit of a step back. I'm not sure I really "get" this song - I think this is the problem. Its about a subject that is totally foreign to me and therefore I cannot relate to it.

Tomorrow Never Knows is my absolute favourite song from Revolver without a shadow of a doubt. Firstly, it's the most different song that they had produced up to that point. How must it of sounded to the Beatle fan in 1966 when they were used to listening to I Need You or You've Got To Hide Your Love Away? It's stunning and different, loud and noisy. The song contains screeching seagulls and reversed guitar loops. For me, this is as close as I'll ever get to experiencing a acid trip. John has managed to capture what it is to get high on LSD and it's almost like he takes us along to experience it with him without us having to experience any of the dangers. It's exotic and wild and it's Lennon willing not only to think out of the box but to have a progressive outlook on the group and the music they are producing. It's like his had the foresight to see that they needed to change and was brave enough to make that leap from what they and the fans had always known and take them somewhere completely different. It's a Beatles masterpiece. It was their coming of age song. It was acknowledging that Britain in 1966 was vastly different to Britain in 1963. It was progressive, a forerunner and it makes me proud to be a Beatles fan. For they did not stand still and just keep producing what they knew to be popular. They led the changes in music during that period. They were trailbeaters. And they were the best of the best. I never get bored of this song, it's a song that it's impossible to get bored with. It's weird because songs are emotional to me, but this song makes me think. I think this is fantastic. This was a risky song. There was no going back to the days of Beatlemania.  From that point onwards it marked a change. For not far in the future lay Sgt Peppers and The White Album.

So, why do I love Revolver? Because it was different. It was experimental and it keeps you on your toes. It has the familiar things that make me love the Beatles but it's full of change, of newness. It has freshness about it. A willingness to step out of the safe world and take a leap into something that was certain to bring success.

The success of Revolver also leaned heavily on the ability of their fans to also change and adapt and to make a leap of faith with the boys. I'm sure Revolver lost them fans. But they would of been the sort of fans who wanted the world to stay the same. They were the sort of fans who lived in a With The Beatles world. The sort of fans who would be left behind in the dust. Those of us, both then and now, who can see how incredible this album is, had to accept the Beatles moved with the times and we moved with them, such was our trust and faith in the boys.

I started this blog by saying that the change in the boys between the start of their career and where they were when Revolver was released was staggering. And it honestly was. The change from the cheeky mop top boys to the more mature hippy Beatles was huge but they had to change. They had no choice at all. If they hadn't of changed they would of risked becoming like The Searchers (a good band from the sixties who sadly got stuck in a rut) and that wouldn't of done. The thing that makes the Beatles awesome was they changed and they were million of miles ahead of what other bands were producing. Other bands couldn't copy the Beatles sound because from Revolver on who could possibly guess what they would produce next?

Revolver is one Beatles album that I simply couldn't live without. Each song is different and is beautiful in it's own way.

Revolver is special. Revolver is irreplaceable. And nothing will ever come close to it. Of course the Beatles produced many gems. And many more where to come after this. But Revolver is a bookmark because of how different it was to what went before.

When I first heard it, it was like a bolt of lightening. It was so different. And it made a remarkable first impression. So for the natural fondness I have for A Hard Days Night or Please Please Me, Revolver was when the Beatles got REALLY interesting. They had something to say and we listened.

Revolver is a moment in time. A perfect summery of the year it was made in. And through the tracks on this album we can trace the cultural changes that were happening in Britain at the time. I should imagine that when teenagers and young people listened to Revolver they must of felt anything was possible. They must of felt that they had a future so different to what their parents had. And, as always, the Beatles led the way.

And my god, I'm so proud of what they achieved. I'm still so excited about Revolver, though it makes no changes for me now, in 2018. But putting myself in the listeners place when it was first released, I should imagine that it brought colour into a black and white world. It brought hope and possibility of change. When I think of my late dad, who was fourteen when the album came out, what must he of thought about it?

Revolver is simply awesome.

Album Of The Day: Magical Mystery Tour

Today I have been listening to Magical Mystery Tour.

Lately I've been heavily into Sgt Peppers, what with the deluxe version that has been released. I cannot resist the strings only version of She's Leaving Home. I could listen to it all day. But today I decided that I really ought to broaden my Beatles horizons.

I've alway seen especially fond of Magical Mystery Tour. I think it includes some of their strongest, most vibrant songs. When they were busy experimenting with new styles and methods, but before trouble started to set in.

I will be honest, I am less keen on the film. I watch it on occasion and when I do watch it I enjoy it. It has some stellar moments. And at other times it appears to be a jumbled mess which lacks the charm of their previous movies. But the soundtrack ... well ... it's up there as one of my favourites.

Of course, it contains three mega big, stand out hits of the Beatles careers. Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane and one of the biggest anthems ever, All You Need Is Love. Strawberry Fields Forever is just a song of pure genius. I love it's melody. I love the whimsical lyrics to Penny Lane and the positive message of All You Need Is Love.

But there are lots of little gems contained on the album that I really like. Flying, a couple of minutes of music is something that has always caught my imagination. It always reminds me of Yellow Submarine. And even though technically it wouldn't fit on the Yellow Submarine album, it has that dreamy element to it that resembles the musical pieces on Yellow Submarine.

For me one of the standout tracks on the album is Baby You're A Rich Man. I love the thundering bass line played expertly by Paul. I love the questioning lyrics. How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people? A question I've asked many times, not being overly blessed in the looks department. Of course, the Beatles probably weren't talking about looks. rather wondering what it is like to be in the set of rich, talented beautiful people. It must of been a rhetorical question, surely. For they were rich, beautiful. the leaders of the talented in-crowds.

When I was given a copy of MMT on my fourteenth birthday (one of those thin, floppy and crappy 1990's vinyl releases) I was dead chuffed. I loved the book that came with it. But, more importantly, I LOVED I Am The Walrus. I giggled at the "boy, you've been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down" (how very shocking...) and laughed out loud at the yellow matter custard, dripping from a  dead dogs eye. I found I Am The Walrus almost hypnotic. There is a strange, and very dark lullaby element to that song. It has often eased me into sleep. I played it over and over till mum (who really doesn't like that song) asked me to stop playing it. I never did. I just brought headphones!

One song on the album I didn't really appreciate till I was much older was The Fool On The Hill. It's thoughtful, deep and sad. It's like another version of Nowhere Man. As a young girl it wasn't funky enough, it never got me on my feet dancing around my room. But now, I appreciate it. I love the words. And that sense of sadness that weaves it's way through the song.

Despite being a George girl through and through I must say that Blue Jay Way isn't or never will be one of my favourite George songs. Unlike the pounding, racing 'It's All Too Much' from Yellow Submarine I find little in Blue Jay Way to interest me. It's good enough because its written by George but it's a track I sometimes skip because I can't be bothered to listen to it. To be fair I think the song fits in with the style of the album, but it will never be a favourite. I think George was made of better stuff. Which he proved over and over again on other albums.

And how can you not love 'Your Mother Should Know'? It's charming, fun and harmless. And I have memories of that song from my very early childhood. I recall it playing on a radio somewhere as I sat in my buggy, my mum singing along to it. I couldn't of been more then two. It's fun, kooky and contagious. It's the sort of song that highlights why I love the Beatles.

The title track, Magical Mystery Tour, is always such fun to listen to. And I think it sets the tone and pace of the album well. It's fun. Ringo plays awesomely and I think when an album opens with such a fantastic song you know you're going to be in for a treat. I have vivid memories of watching this film with my Dad and this song just takes me back to innocent times.      

I spent more hours in my room dancing to Hello Goodbye then I care to admit. I find it extremely hard to sit still when this song is playing. And when The Bootleg Beatles play it at their gigs, I am up on my feet before anyone else, bopping along. Hello Goodbye does exactly what music ought to do - make you feel. No matter what the song or what the emotion. And when I hear it I find it hard not to smile. And if I can't dance when it's on, I can, at least tap my feet to the joyful song.

Magical Mystery Tour is probably not the most well known Beatles album if you were to ask a non-fan. I suppose most non Beatles fans would know at least three tracks on this album. Possibly four. But for me, as a combined album, it's up there as one of my favourites. Like I said I think Blue Jay Way is quite weak. But despite it's faults, I think it's a sometimes forgotten little gem. Under appreciated certainly.

The problem that Magical Mystery Tour has, I think, is the time of it's release. It's nestled uncomfortably between two of the boys biggest albums. On the left you have Sgt Pepper. On the right you have The White Album. Both albums were out of the stratosphere and cast long shadows. So as much as MMT was critically acclaimed on release, it suffers by being in the shadows and it's not really fair, actually. Because, it deserves to sit in the spotlight, simply because how awesome it actually is.

There is a lightness to MMT which I appreciate. It's not so angst ridden as Sgt Peppers (She's Leaving Home and A Day In The Life are real tearjerkers) and it's not as dark and brooding as The White Album (Yer Blues, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I'm So Tired ...) It strikes a light balance.

So today is Magical Mystery Tour day. It's a album I thoroughly love. And lets be honest, any album that contains Strawberry Fields Forever can never really fail ....

A Little Bit About Me.

My name is Laura.

I love the Beatles.

I have created this blog because I love to write. And I love to write about the Beatles. I have been a fan of 'my boys" (as I call them!) since 1991 when I was a little girl. I inherited my love for the greatest band in the world from my late Dad who was also a fan of the greatest band in the world!

I have a favourite Beatle.  That will be George.

I have a favourite Beatle song. That will be Here Comes The Sun.

I have a favourite Beatles album. The White Album.

The Beatles run through my soul. Cut me I bleed Beatles. Naturally, I love other bands. I love Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Moody Blues, The Bee Gees, The Small Faces. I'm also mad on Buddy Holly. But, my musical loving heart belongs to The Beatles.

I hope to write a lot about them.  I hope you find it interesting.

I am by no means a Beatle expert. I can't tell you what guitar George played on whilst recording She Said, She Said. I don't know how many takes it took to perfect Strawberry Fields. I am not technically savvy like that. What I can tell you though is their music is my everything.

And I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it.

P.s - I also love tea.